A mechanism for reconciling the synchronisation of Heinrich events and Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles.

ABSTRACT: The evolution of the northern hemispheric climate during the last glacial period was beset by quasi-episodic iceberg discharge events from the Laurentide ice sheet, known as Heinrich events (HEs). The paleo record places most HEs into the cold stadial of the Dansgaard-Oeschger cycle. However, not every Dansgaard-Oeschger cycle is associated with a HE, revealing a complex interplay between the two modes of glacial variability. Here, using a coupled ice sheet-solid earth model, we introduce a mechanism that explains the synchronicity of HEs and Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles. Unlike earlier studies, our mechanism does not require a trigger during the stadial. Instead, the atmospheric warming signal during the interstadial of the Dansgaard-Oeschger cycle causes enhanced ice stream thickening that

SUBMITTER: Schannwell C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10997585 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature